Pools are a popular recreational item for the average homeowner and have more frequently become both an entertainment and aesthetic feature of homes. With advances in light-emitting diode (LED) technology complex colored lighting has become even more ubiquitous in pools, spas, and water features. For example, swimming pools, spas, and water features have moved several steps beyond their traditional, classic forms in shape, complexity, visual interest and beauty—and so have the techniques and technologies involved in giving them a warm, inviting glow when evening comes. Through years of innovation, experimentation, and refinement with LEDs, lighting is now adding splendor and wonder to the pool/spa experience in compact, unobtrusive packages—a design asset that couldn't even have been imagined just twenty years ago. LED lighting is the lighting of choice for swimming pools because these LEDs can illuminate the pool, spa, water features and other decorative outdoor elements.
The lighting allows homeowners, for example, to control the color and intensity with a remote control operating system. Changing color lights creates visual drama and adds aesthetic beauty to a pool and outdoor living space. Nowadays, it is not uncommon for low voltage systems, such as waterfalls, deck jets, bubblers, and other low-voltage features to function in concert with color-changing LED lighting to create a backyard or pool experience, often incorporating synchronized programming of lighting, music, and other setting features. Lighting control programs not only display a variety of colors but they can generate a variety of individual lighting effects or a series of lighting effects to create shows; that is, synchronized changing colors or effects, which can be pattern based or synchronized to signals and other inputs.
The control of the equipment in accordance with a typical control scheme to produce such coordinated “shows” is conventionally accomplished using a series of independent controller devices each associated with a particular low voltage equipment/device including, but not limited to, pool lighting, water features (e.g. waterfalls, deck jets, etc.) and the like. In accordance with the most common control scheme associated with lighting control programs, such LED colored lights employ a simple toggling mechanism, serially switching power between ON and OFF states a specific number of times in order to set, change, and reset operating modes and output effects. This manual method of control, or control scheme, has conventionally been employed for controlling the operation of various equipment and devices associated with pools and spas, including, for example, pumps, water jets, lights, heaters, active filters and so forth. The corresponding relays or switches being toggled between ON and OFF states are often found in time clocks, both mechanical and digital, housed in one or more enclosures in close proximity to pool and spa equipment, and employ a bus connector coupling arrangement. These invariably include a transformer for converting available alternating current (AC) power supplies to lower voltages and accompanying switching or relay devices to selectively supply this power based on control inputs.
An example of a typical control scheme used for light control in the industry is the use of ON/OFF signal pulses to switch selection of the program controlling the color emissions through the use of an ON/OFF switch or relay for the light. A brief ON/OFF switch cycle, for example, can allow for the selection of the next program, while a longer ON/OFF switch cycle may cause the device to reset to the initial, or “number one,” program, e.g., a particular color or particular color series for display. Continued brief ON/OFF cycling will typically toggle through predetermined, select programs stored in the light fixture control or the device control until eventually rolling over to the number one program. Variations in the nature of the signal, for example, pulse length, can be used to control different features, such as lighting effects. The switch cycle program method, or scheme, is typically proprietary to the particular light manufacturer and stored on a microprocessor in the controller. This is merely one known type of control method—various others exist. For example, some older control mechanisms, when manually engaged, will produce the ON/OFF sequencing to enable user control of the emitted color of the lights.
Newer methods include the use of a digital time clock in conjunction with solid state relays to control operation of the selected equipment. In accordance with this known method, the light is directly identifiable to the controller, as the commands are communicated directly from the controller to the controlled component. With the use of newer digital timers, the relays are often controlled directly, and the control inputs communicated directly to the subcomponents, which are coupled to a power block on the transformer, e.g., direct control of lighting to effect color changes using a digital signal input separate and apart from the corresponding power relays. Such system may be controlled by a controller, which is then wirelessly controlled, providing high level controls.
However, applicants are unaware of any known system capable of controlling each switch as an independently-addressable controller and coupling it wirelessly to a controller or network application. Accordingly, there is a need for such an apparatus and method of control capable of addressing each switch individually, in a wired and/or wireless manner, to control the power and other functions associated with such low voltage devices.
Furthermore, existing controllers are often insufficiently feature rich, unable to communicate with newer remote controls, and/or unable to communicate through web-enabled devices. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide such a system that could be employed to retrofit such older existing equipment. For example, it would be highly desirable to be able to utilize an existing mechanical enclosure by retrofitting a conventional mechanical time clock based control system with a more feature-rich digital control system. Utilizing the existing enclosure, such a retrofittable system would allow for the existing wiring to be reused, in lieu of having to install new wiring, and simply replaces the existing relay, switch block, or equivalent switching/relay device.
The concept of retrofitting digital controllers into an existing mechanical enclosure in existing solutions provides only limited functionality. In these cases, the low voltage systems, such as the lights, are simply wired to a transformer box with a physical power switch controlling the power. To date, no existing digital or mechanical control timer systems are known that are capable of communicating with the internet or being internet-controlled at the relay level wherein each relay is individually addressable, thereby offering wireless remote control or wired weatherproof remote control, much less providing a power interruption mechanism or relay coupled to the low voltage side of a power transformer in a control circuit of the controller to control the low voltage equipment.
Furthermore, the need exists for such a control system enabling convenient control of devices with a greater degree of particularity, such as the separate/individual control of the display of lighting colors, programs, or patterns of operation at the individual relay level, as well as incorporating relays to switch power in the required format to enable programmed switching. Preferably, such a device could be employed as part of a new installation and as a retrofit device for existing systems, which is capable of providing power interruption mechanisms, such as individually-addressable and individually-controllable relays coupled to the low voltage side of a power transformer of a control circuit of the controller system, and which is retrofittable to an existing control enclosure that can address each relay, individually, on the low voltage side of the transformer, providing expanded functionality to the retrofitted controller system. Preferably, this would include either on-board or off-board components to provide control of one or more relays and/or similar control devices providing a pathway for communication with and/or control via the internet using a suitable software interface application and user interface. Preferably, the system would be adapted to enable wireless control, wired weatherproof control, and/or two-way communication with the controller(s) of controlled loads, while providing a power interruption mechanism coupled to the low voltage side of a power transformer of a control circuit of the controller.